Deathstalker’s Mark: Persistent Issues with Stealth and Combat States
Still has not been addressed!
I would like to bring attention to an ongoing issue with Deathstalker’s Mark that has persisted since the beta and continues even after the 10.0.5 PTR. This problem is affecting both Subtlety and Assassination Rogues, and it remains a significant frustration for many players, myself included. Despite multiple bug reports and feedback, this issue has yet to be addressed.
Issue 1: Remaining in Combat Due to Deathstalker’s Mark and Singular Focus Damage
While Deathstalker’s Mark is active on a target, the Singular Focus damage ticks continuously. Even if the Rogue is far away from the target, these periodic ticks keep the player in combat. This disrupts gameplay by preventing Rogues from re-entering stealth or disengaging from combat, which is crucial to the class’s mechanics.
Issue 2: Breaking Stealth Unintentionally
Another side effect of Deathstalker’s Mark is that it causes Rogues to drop out of stealth unexpectedly. Once the mark is applied, the damage ticks can pull the Rogue out of stealth repeatedly, even when the Rogue has not engaged the target directly. This is particularly noticeable in PvP, where the inability to remain in stealth can severely impact a Rogue’s effectiveness.
For example, in PvP Battlegrounds—especially Random or Epic Battlegrounds—a Rogue can be killed, resurrect, and yet remain in combat due to Deathstalker’s Mark ticking on a player across the map. In such cases, the Rogue cannot properly re-enter stealth for up to one minute, as they are forced in and out of combat whenever the damage ticks.
Issue 3: Stuck in Combat After NPC Death
In dungeons or delves, if an NPC affected by Deathstalker’s Mark dies, it can leave the Rogue permanently stuck in combat. The only solution to break this bug is to leave the instance entirely and re-enter, which is an unacceptable workaround for group content. Although I haven’t personally experienced this in raids, it would be helpful if others could comment on whether it occurs in that content as well.
Conclusion:
This ongoing issue is negatively impacting both PvP and PvE gameplay. PvP Arenas, Battlegrounds, and PvE Dungeons are all affected, and the inability to stealth or properly disengage from combat makes the Rogue class feel broken in most scenarios as our opener from stealth especially as Assassination is the only way to be effective and impactful, which is unfortunately to say the least that we rely too heavily on being able to make an opener to deal proper damage compared to other classes which can dive right in no matter the scenario.
So, the real question is: Where is Blizzard’s solution? Why is there no communication on fixing this bug? Rogues already face significant challenges in terms of balance, buffs, and fixes across all specs. Stealth is one of the core aspects of the Rogue’s identity, and yet even this iconic ability is compromised by a persistent bug that has been overlooked.